The One Who Would Surpass Them All
by Konoha Leaguer
Summary: "Uzumaki Naruto. The name that would go down in history as one of the greatest shinobi the world has ever seen. But first, he has to get there, and this is the story of how he did."
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**A/N: So… I have a basic idea for this fic. I'm not gonna reveal anything, you'll just have to keep reading. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own a vape though, which is instrumental in my patience for writing.**

**Chapter Song: Starset – Carnivores**

**A/N 2: So, I'm returning to this after months, probably a year, I don't know. Covid happened and I got extremely caught up, being in my final year of Highschool and all. So, a few things. This is my first attempt at a decent fanfic. It might not be great, but by the end it'll be good enough. Lastly, reading through it now, such a young Naruto wouldn't do half the things he does. So, he's gonna be about 10 when it starts, and the timeskip till graduation will put him at 14. That's it, enjoy the story…**

**The One Who Would Surpass Them All**

**Prologue**

Konohagakure no Sato. The Village Hidden in The Leaves. Home to some of the strongest shinobi in history. Also home to Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuriki of the **Kyuubi no Yoko** (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox).

The current mood in the village was festive and celebratory, and yet mournful to some villagers. It was the 10th anniversary of the defeat of the Kyuubi, marked by the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, also known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha. It was a great day, except for the aforementioned Naruto. To Naruto, the Kyuubi festival was probably the worst day of the year, not that he had particularly great ones either. It was usually on this day that the villagers would terrorize him the most, even daring to break into his apartment to find him or trash it.

On this night, however, Naruto had tried to hide, instead of staying in his apartment. He left under the shadow of darkness and tried to make his way as stealthily as possible to the Hokage Monument. Naturally, being a 10-year-old boy, his stealth was not very refined, and he ended up alerting some of the more… inebriated shinobi to his presence. These shinobi, most of which were Chunin in rank, bolstered by one Jounin, followed Naruto and were slowly gathering a group of villagers, forming a pseudo-witch hunt in pursuit of Naruto. Naruto was unaware of this mob following him, as the festival continued loudly around him.

Taking a wrong turn that lead Naruto to a dead end, he turned and faced the mob for the first time, utter fear racing through his mind. Later, all he could remember were screams of: "**Die** **Demon! You killed her! You killed her! You'll pay for your crimes against this village!"**, and an assortment of pain. Knives piercing his body, torches burning away flesh, rocks, and clubs bashing and breaking his bones. That was Naruto's recollection of that night.

**(Naruto's Mindscape)**

When Naruto awoke, he thought he was dead. All he saw was darkness. Suddenly, torches sprung to life around him and he was standing in ankle-deep water, in what looked to be a… sewer? He followed the torches, the echo of his splashing feet following him. He finally came upon what looked to be large iron bars with a kanji in the middle. "Seal", Naruto read. He started forward, curious as to what was behind the bars, when a large red tail slammed against the bars, sending Naruto stumbling back, almost falling onto his backside.

Emerging from the shadows behind the bars came a giant, fearsome fox, nine tails thrashing behind it. Its eyes spoke of pure anger and hatred. It regarded Naruto first with curiosity, then anger, and finally, a mixture of pity and contempt.

Naruto, by now so scared he could barely move, stuttered through his next words.

"Y-y-y-You're the K-Kyuubi no Yoko."

The Kyuubi regarded Naruto for a moment, before shifting its position to one of almost sitting. "**Yes. I am. Why are you here, boy**?" the Kyuubi said, surprising Naruto that its voice sounded almost human-like, with a gravelly undertone that could be mistaken for a growl in the right circumstances. It helped Naruto calm down a little.

"I don't know why I'm here. All I remember before this is… the villagers. They… they were hurting me… calling me a demon, a monster. I don't understand why they hate me so much."

The Kyuubi, knowing what it felt like to be misunderstood, could relate to the child in front of him. It proceeded to explain the predicament they both found themselves in, with the Kyuubi being sealed into Naruto hours after his birth and the fact that their fates were now intertwined irreversibly.

"So, you're inside me? And everyone hates me because when you were released, you killed a bunch of people?", Naruto asked, this having been a lot to digest.

"**Yes, I am for all intents and purposes inside you. I didn't mean to kill them. I didn't even want to be released in your village. I was forced to, by a… man unknown to me at this moment. All I know is he was an Uchiha, and old, very old.**", Kyuubi elaborated.

"Okay. Well if it wasn't your fault, then I guess the villagers are just mean for the sake of being mean. Can we be friends? I don't have any real friends except for Hokage-jiji.", Naruto said, looking down at his feet, clearly flustered at having to ask the Kyuubi if it would like to be friends.

"**Okay kit. I must say, your taste in friends is peculiar, but as are the circumstances. If you want to speak with me out in the real world, just think it.",** Kyuubi said, amused at this child's wish to befriend it.

**(Real World: Hospital of Konoha)**

Naruto returned from his conversation with the Kyuubi to darkness. His eyes felt heavy and when he tried to lift his hand to rub at them, pain shot through his arm and his resulting flinch made his whole body react as his arm did. When he finally managed to open his eyes and get used to the white light of the hospital room he was in, his eyes shot to the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sitting with a concerned yet comforting smile next to his bed.

"Naruto-kun. I'm glad you're finally awake. I was worried for a while if you would pull through.", Hiruzen said, concern evident in his worn features.

Naruto stared long and hard at his only supporter, except for the Ichiraku family, of course, deciding if he should tell him about what he had just learned. He loved the old man dearly, but he had never once said anything about the Kyuubi and while he did his best to protect Naruto, it wasn't enough.

"I'm fine jiji. I'm a little sore, but I feel fine. May I go home now please?", Naruto asked, despondent.

The Hokage did a mental double-take at Naruto's sudden loss of spirit. '_I should never have allowed anything like this come even close to happening. Maybe he just needs time to process what happened.'_, Hiruzen pondered.

"Of course my boy. If that is what you wish. Just so you know, the perpetrators of this vile attack on you have been dealt with. They won't be bothering you again."

Naruto only nodded as got up, doing his best to ignore the pain spiking through his body. It would be gone within the day. He left the hospital accompanied by the Hokage and walked very close to him.

Having reached Naruto's apartment, the Hokage turned towards Naruto. "Naruto, I think it might be in your best interest to enroll in the Academy. That way you'll learn how to defend yourself and you'll eventually become a ninja. Would you like to enroll in the Academy Naruto?"

Naruto nodded absentmindedly and unlocked his apartment, giving the Hokage a brief goodbye and then shutting his door, leaving the Hokage rueful of his not being there enough for Naruto. He would have to do better.

**(Naruto's Apartment)**

Naruto sat and contemplated the Hokage's offer. He knew it came from a good place, and he knew the old man cared for him, but sometimes Naruto felt that he treated him too much like a child, and now he knew he was a child with a heavy burden placed on him. Couldn't the Hokage have at least told him, prepared him for the villagers hate later in his life.

It just wasn't fair! Why did he have to have this burden placed on him, forced to be hated by the village, shunned from everywhere by everyone? He was treated lesser than a piece of garbage.

He would make them respect him, Naruto concluded. They would respect him if he became powerful, powerful enough to protect the village and earn their respect because even though the villagers vilified him, he still loved his home.

That was it. Naruto would surpass them all, all of the strong shinobi in history, and earn the village's, no, the world's respect.

**So, I hope you enjoy the story. The concept just kinda came to me and I rolled with it. So, leave a review if you want, constructive criticism is appreciated, any response is appreciated actually. **

**Until next time, cheers.**


	2. Chapter 2: Things Are Looking Up

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… what a sad day**

**A/N: If you missed the announcement in Chapter 1, go back and give it a quick skim read.**

**Chapter 2: This Crazy World**

**(Academy: 4 years after Naruto enrolled)**

Naruto sat at the back of the class, next to the window, alone. Since the incident 4 years ago, Naruto had stopped dressing in his bright colors and had instead asked the Hokage to accompany him for shopping shortly after the incident. He was now dressed in dark blue shinobi issue pants, a crimson red shirt with a black swirl on his chest, and a mesh undershirt. He wore black tabi-boots and a dark cloak to cover it all up. He had also grown a couple of extra inches on top of his normal growth, having changed his diet to a healthier one.

The class all filed in, taking their seats. They still stole glances at Naruto, even though he'd been there for a year. They ignored him for the most part, except for when they trained taijutsu and shurikenjutsu, in which Naruto excelled. Not having the money to afford most of the weapon stores overpriced goods, Naruto had scavenged most of his kunai and shuriken from training grounds and he practiced regularly after school.

Naruto's taijutsu was… different. He had asked the Hokage to take him to the Shinobi Library because of the librarian not allowing him entry, after 3 years in the Academy. In the library, Naruto had found multiple taijutsu styles that looked appealing, but when he discovered the Destructive Flow Style he looked no further. Destructive Flow was a style that utilized swift and powerful strikes. The use of swift stunning strikes and deflection techniques, coupled with very powerful strikes meant to cause severe wounds and break bones. Due to Naruto being 13 years old at the time of learning it, he didn't have the physical strength yet to cause such severe harm, but he was progressing well enough to be able to beat his classmates in spars badly enough that they hated being paired with him.

Naruto watched the class go by detached, having already studied ahead. The Academy curriculum was, in all honesty, garbage. They barely learned anything worth of survival skills, stealth or tactics. He would have to change that when he became Hokage.

He had decided, some weeks after the attack on him, that to change people's perspective of him, and the perspective of all people like him, people that are different, he would have to become Hokage. There were so many flaws in the shinobi system, and Naruto would be the one to fix them.

As the school was let out for the day, Naruto headed to training ground 36, nestled partway in Konoha Forest, relatively close to the Forest of Death. Getting there he started his training. He trained for a few hours before collapsing against a tree. Not long after he was snoring softly, his cloak tucked behind his head.

A certain smoking shinobi watched from the forest as Naruto slept. He hadn't thought that such a young child could train this hard. He knew who the kid was, but he didn't expect him to look so… sad. And his training! The training field looked like a small warzone. Kunai and shuriken were littered everywhere, but the precision in which it was, was good. No, not good, it was great. '_He must be good, or he trains hard at least. I should talk to the old man… I've got some ideas.'_

**(Hokage's Office)**

Hiruzen sat cursing paperwork in his office when his son, Sarutobi Asuma walked in. "Asuma," Hiruzen said with a smile, "What brings you here?"

Asuma smiled softly at his father, "Hey dad. How's everything been around."

"Very busy I'm afraid. This Hyuuga business with Kumo is getting out of hand. Do you need something Asuma? I'm afraid that I don't have time for a social visit."

Asuma's smile became less prominent as he sat down across from his father. "Well, dad, I'm not sure how to start. You know the jinchuriki, Naruto, right?" At his nod, Asuma continued. "I saw him at Training Ground 36 today, sleeping after training. It looked like he'd been training hard, and honestly, from the way the place looked, he's not too bad."

Hiruzen was intrigued. Asuma had left long before the Kyuubi had attacked and had only returned for his mother's funeral. It was interesting because he had offered Asuma the opportunity to take on a genin team more than once, and Asuma had refused, saying he wasn't ready for that type of commitment. Hiruzen gestured for him to continue.

"And I was thinking… maybe I could take him under my wing? At least until he becomes a genin. I see a lot of potential in him," Asuma requested, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. He had, after all, rejected the offerings of genin teams more than once.

Hiruzen's eyebrow rose slightly, not expecting Asuma to request to take Naruto in and teach him. "Well Asuma, I must say I wasn't expecting that. I don't understand, you've shown no interest in teaching anyone, yet now you show interest in Naruto. Why?"

"Well… I'm not sure Dad," Asuma said, chuckling slightly, "It's just a feeling. I don't know, but it would be a shame not to see him reach his full potential. And maybe I'll take him and his genin team when they graduate."

Hiruzen pondered this for a few minutes, puffing on his pipe every 20 seconds or so. Finally, it looked like he had come to a decision."Asuma… I'll consent, but only if you agree to take Naruto's team when they graduate. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, Dad I understand. Thanks for allowing me to do this. I won't let you or Naruto down," Asuma promised, grinning.

"Okay. I'll send for Naruto tomorrow. Be here around noon," Hiruzen said, already turning back to his paperwork.

Asuma thanked his father, and left, already thinking about what he would start Naruto on.

Naruto woke up just as dusk started to hit, slumped against a tree. '_I must have passed out after training. Dammit.' _Naruto groaned as he stood up and stretched, his bones popping audibly._ 'Time to head home I guess.' _

Naruto made his way home through the trees, and when he reached the village proper, he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, making sure to avoid as many people as possible. When Naruto got home, it was fully dark. Having already slept for some time, Naruto instead opted to make himself some dinner, and study some scrolls he had found in the library on fuinjutsu and chakra flow. After midnight or so, Naruto stifled a massive yawn and headed off to bed.

**(The Next Day)**

Naruto started the next day as he usually did, grabbing the previous night's scrolls and heading for the Academy. The day went by like usual, until just before noon when an ANBU (Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai) member arrived at the Academy and asked for Naruto's prompt appearance at the Hokage Tower.

Naruto followed the ANBU after being let go by Iruka-sensei, and they soon arrived at their destination. Upon entering the Hokage's office, Naruto noticed a Jonin sitting on one of the Hokage's couches, a cigarette dangling from his lips, smoke rising in lazy curves and circles from the tip.

"You sent for me Hokage-jiji," Naruto said, walking up to his desk, "What's going on?"

Asuma let out a small chuckle at Naruto's name for his father.

Hiruzen noticed Asuma's small outburst and ignored it for the time being, instead softly smiling at Naruto, "Naruto-kun my boy, I have some news for you. My son, Asuma, came upon you yesterday after your training, and he has shown interest in training you. Asuma," Hiruzen said, motioning for Asuma to come closer.

Naruto watched the Jonin step up. The Hokage had said he wanted to train him? Well, the man was a Jonin and the Hokage's son, so he must be really strong. "Okay jiji. Thank you, Asuma-sensei," Naruto said, nodding at Asuma and smiling slightly.

Asuma noticed Naruto's reluctant smile and decided that he would have to amend that, "So, Naruto, from tomorrow onward, you'll be leaving the Academy at noon, right before your physical training starts for the day. We will be training from noon until at least five in the afternoon, at Training Ground 36. When or if I'm gone on a mission, there will be scrolls left here for you to study while I'm gone. I'm sure that if you have questions while studying these scrolls, the Hokage will be here to help," Asuma explained, motioning to his father, who nodded.

Naruto nodded and thanked Asuma and the Hokage again, and proceeded to take his leave.

As soon as Naruto was gone, Asuma turned to his father, "He seems like a good kid. A little too… reserved, I think, but I'll get him out of his shell."

"He's been like that for some years now, ever since an incident on his birthday with some shinobi and villagers. He will inform you of the details as you build trust with him, I'm sure.", Hiruzen said, puffing on his now relit pipe.

"Is there anything I'm not allowed to teach him Dad, or are you leaving it up to my better judgment?"

"I'm sure whatever you see fit will be fine Asuma. You're an exceptionally smart shinobi. Just don't turn him into something no child of his age should be. He is still an innocent 13-year-old boy, and I expect him to hold onto his innocence as long as humanly possible."

Asuma nodded and took his leave, heading home to plan out the start of Naruto's training.

**(Training Ground 36: Noon)**

Asuma stood waiting for Naruto as he jumped into the clearing, the absence of the man's cigarette feeling off, though Naruto couldn't explain why. The smirk on his new sensei's face was also slightly unnerving.

Asuma smirked as he watched Naruto jumping into the clearing. _'I just know this kid is gonna be a handful.' _Naruto approached him with a hesitant smile, seeming nervous about something. "So, kid. I'm kinda new to this teaching thing. How about you tell me your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, things like that?" Asuma said, smiling sheepishly.

"Okay. I like training, and ramen has always been my favorite food, even though it's not healthy," Naruto smiled despite himself, "I dislike discrimination, bigotry, and arrogance. My only dream… is to become strong and smart enough to become Hokage one day, so that I can protect those who feel weak, who feel lesser than themselves because of other people's opinions."

Asuma watched as Naruto's sky blue eyes went from happy, to angry, to sad and lost and then finally to determined. _'There's more to him than meets the eye. That'll be fun... I hope.'_ Asuma mused. "Okay. Well, I like sausage and soba with tororo and I enjoy Shogi. I don't dislike much. I don't really have a set dream, but there is a kunoichi that I like."

Naruto nodded and sat down cross-legged, waiting for further instruction.

"So, before we begin training properly, I need to know what you need help with, and from there we can continue. Is there anything you struggle with? Like chakra control, one of the academy jutsu, your taijutsu?", Asuma asked, not experienced with the whole concept of teaching.

"Well, I haven't ever been able to make a decent clone. The rest of my skills are good, except for genjutsu and my chakra control," Naruto admitted.

Asuma nodded and stroked his beard thoughtfully. He could try teaching Naruto **that **jutsu, but what if he didn't have enough chakra? It could be possible though, because of Naruto's… situation as well as his Uzumaki heritage.

"Okay. I think I have a solution to the clone problem. Genjutsu isn't my forte, but I'm not a jonin for nothing. And as for the chakra control, that's just training and more training," Asuma said.

Naruto nodded and then proceeded to experience the most brutal training he had ever taken part in. Asuma took him through a physical gauntlet, consisting of a brutal workout, followed by a taijutsu spar that left Naruto sore all over, and then some shurikenjutsu training. Asuma then, after a short break, started teaching him **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu).** Naruto, ever the overachiever, vowed to master the jutsu before nightfall, and true to his word, he did. About an hour before sunset, Naruto's voice rang out tiredly.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**

After the cloud of smoke passed, twenty other Naruto's surrounded him. "Yatta! I did it,", Naruto yelled uncharacteristically, pumping his fist into the air.

Asuma stood with a mixture of pride and disbelief on his face. '_I knew he would get it eventually, but to do it within a few hours, and make twenty clones after all the chakra he expended while learning the jutsu… this kid's perfect for ninjutsu specialization. His taijutsu is also pretty good for his age and size, so maybe a close to mid-range tai- and ninjutsu specialist.'_

"That's great Naruto. Why don't we stop for the day, and I'll take you to get some ramen. My treat?" Asuma offered.

Naruto nodded and dispelled his clones. After he cleaned himself up a bit, Naruto and Asuma headed to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Teuchi-ojisan, two bowls of Miso, and keep 'em coming,", Naruto said, his stomach growling audibly from the smell of the ramen.

"I'll take a bowl of Tonkotsu please,", Asuma said.

"Comin right up guys. Ayame! I need a Naruto special, and one bowl of Tonkotsu please!", Teuchi yelled into the kitchen.

A few moments later, Naruto and Asuma received their steaming hot bowls of ramen. Naruto started digging in ferociously, after a quick "Itadakimasu".

"So Naruto,", Asuma started as Naruto dug into his ramen, "Do you know why I taught you the **Kage Bunshin**?", At Naruto's "No", muffled slightly by ramen, Asuma continued, "Well, the **Kage Bunshin** is a kinjutsu, because of the amount of chakra it takes. You have an abundance of chakra, however, which makes this jutsu perfect for you. One of the upsides of this jutsu, except for the fact that you have physical clones that can perform jutsu and think independently, is that when they dispel, you receive their experience and memories. So, say you have ten clones working on a jutsu and they get the jutsu right and dispel, you will be able to use that experience and their memories to perform the jutsu in question. The same thing goes for chakra control, taijutsu, shurikenjutsu and anything else related to muscle memory and memory in general. Physically training your body and strength however, is up to you."

Naruto stopped mid slurp and looked up at Asuma, a small grin forming around the noodles hanging out of his mouth. "So, sensei, what you're saying is that, with my **Kage Bunshin**, I could train and learn more things at once, in less time?", Naruto asked.

"Yeah. You and I will be training your body and the most efficient ways in which to use the skills I will be imparting upon you. Now, we only have 6 months of training before you graduate, and then I will most likely be your genin squad sensei. By then, I'm hoping to have you at least at high genin or maybe low chunin skill level, but you'll need combat experience before qualifying for even a low chunin skill level. Are you sure that you're up for this?", Asuma asked, already gleaning the answer from Naruto's ever-growing grin.

"Yes, Asuma-sensei. I'm ready."

Asuma nodded and the two ate in comfortable silence, each of them deep in thought.

**(Hokage's Office)**

Hiruzen sat staring into his crystal ball, smiling smugly. "You will likely be the greatest ninja this village has ever seen Naruto. I'm sure of it.", Hiruzen mused aloud.

**A/N: So, things are already changing up. Now, my update schedule might not always be consistent, as moving between my parents' homes and exams and my social life may prevent writing sometimes, but I'll try and keep it as consistent as possible.**

**As always, I hope you enjoyed it, cause I enjoy writing for you guys.**


	3. Chapter 3:Team 10

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Kishimoto… boo-hoo.**

**A/N: Just, by the way, the following time skip will be the last long skip for a while. As always, read, review, whatever. Enjoy **

**Chapter 3: Team 10, the greatest there ever was.**

**(Genin Graduation Day)**

Genin Graduation Day. For those parents whose children decided to walk the path of the shinobi, it's one of the proudest days of their lives. For the sensei, it's a day that represents freedom from the children that have been working on their nerves for 4 years. For the children themselves, the day held a mixture of excitement, at the prospect of becoming a genin, as well as fear, fear of not passing, and fear of the future as a genin.

For Naruto, however, today held nothing but apprehension. He knew he would pass without effort, but he was apprehensive of future teammates. To be honest, he was scared as well, scared that his teammates wouldn't like him, wouldn't want to work with him.

He was confident in his abilities, however. In the six months of training with Asuma, or as Naruto had come to call it the "Six Months of Hell", Naruto had learned a lot. His chakra control had improved in leaps and bounds with the use of his clones, as well as his mastery of some of the more intermediate katas of his taijutsu style. Studying his fuinjutsu on his own, Naruto had let clones perfect his calligraphy skills, and by last month they had started producing sealing scrolls, explosive tags, and some minor chakra seals on a very small scale. By the third month of training, Asuma had brought chakra paper, to test Naruto's nature affinity. To the surprise of Naruto, and more so to Asuma, the paper had split into three pieces, which then proceeded to burn to ash instantly, wrinkle to the point of stiffness and become so soaked that Naruto had to pull the paper off piece by piece.

Asuma had explained then that Naruto had an affinity for wind, fire, lightning, and water. Naruto was curious about the reason for it but didn't question this obvious gift he had been given. Asuma had excused himself for a while, having to find the necessary jutsu scrolls and to have a conversation with his father.

**(Asuma Flashback)**

_Asuma hurried to the Hokage Tower, one question running through his head.'How in the hell does Naruto have four elemental affinities'. Stopping himself from barging into his father's office, Asuma collected himself and knocked, entering after the reply of "Come in". His father sat behind his desk, puffing on his pipe while groaning about paperwork. Hiruzen looked up at Asuma and waved a hand at the empty chair across from him._

_As Asuma sat down, Hiruzen spoke."So what brings you here my boy? Aren't you and Naruto-kun supposed to be training?"_

"_Yeah, we were training… until I gave him a strip of chakra nature paper… and the thing split into three pieces, one which immediately turned to ash, one which soaked his hand and the other wrinkled to the point of extreme stiffness. How in the hell does Naruto have four strong nature types?", Asuma asked, extremely confused._

_Hiruzen sat and contemplated how much to tell his son. He would be an integral part of Naruto's life, and he probably deserved to know."Asuma, what I'm about to tell you is an S-class secret, and is not allowed to leave this room. Do you understand?" Hiruzen asked, and at Asuma's nod, he waved a hand and dismissed the ANBU who protected his office. _

"_So, I think I know why Naruto has those elemental natures. See, his father was none other than Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage," Hiruzen was pleased to see Asuma shortly surprised before his son put the strings together," and Uzumaki Kushina, the former Kyuubi jinchuriki, was his mother. Now, Minato had a strong affinity for the wind and lightning natures, which of course aided him greatly in the mastery of his signature jutsu. His mother had s strong affinity for the water nature. The fire nature I'm not sure about, but it could be the Kyuubi affecting him, or it could be something else entirely."_

"_That… certainly helps, dad. Would you possibly have some jutsu scrolls for the fire, water, and lightning elements either here, or at home? As you know, I'm not so specialized in other elements as I am in wind.", Asuma requested, his shock fading from the secret he had just been told._

"_Yes. Just check my library at home. I'm sure you'll find more than enough to occupy Naruto-kun."_

_Asuma nodded and left, heading to pick up the jutsu scrolls before heading back to Naruto._

Asuma had returned about a half-hour later, carrying a large scroll, which he had unsealed to reveal several different smaller jutsu scrolls. Throughout Naruto's training, he had learned two different fire type jutsu, **Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique) and Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique). **As well as one lightning type jutsu, **Raiton: Kunai Tokubetsu Houden (Lightning Release: Kunai Special Charge). **He learned more than a few wind and water type ninjutsu, **Suiton: Teppōdama (Water Release: Gunshot), Suiton: Mizuame Nabara (Water Release: Starch Syrup Capture Field), Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave). Fūton: Reppūshō (Wind Release: Gale Palm),** **Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough). **Asuma also gave Naruto some non-elemental jutsu, **Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique), Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Kunai Shadow Clone Technique and Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique)**

Naruto had yet to master most of the jutsu, but he could perform the techniques to a certain degree of skill. True mastery of his jutsu would require him to use them without hand seals, and Naruto was still a far ways away from that. Asuma had vowed to raise Naruto's skill level to at most a low chunin level, and he did. Naruto still had absolutely no battle experience, aside from sparring with Asuma. After Asuma had brought the jutsu to Naruto for study, the routine had followed them training physically, Asuma playing a lot of Shogi with Naruto, ingraining some proper strategy into his student, and Naruto's clones training his jutsu, chakra control, shurikenjutsu, taijutsu, his calligraphy and reading up on a myriad of topics that would give Naruto an edge in the world, like history, books on politics, studies of the different Villages and their way of life, and books on strategy and tactics.

Naruto was suddenly brought of his thoughts by Iruka yelling at the excitable children to pipe down. The day dragged on slowly, with different tests spread out throughout the day. Naruto aced his shurikenjutsu test, and almost really hurt his sensei in the taijutsu test. The theoretical test went by smoothly, and when the time came to perform their Academy jutsu, Naruto used the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, instead of the Academy clone technique.

"What do you think you're doing Naruto?! We requested an Academy Bunshin. Not a **Kage Bunshin. **You fail!", Mizuki yelled.

"Mizuki, calm down. Even though the requirement for passing is a normal Bunshin, but the fact that Naruto showed the ingenuity and skill to not only learn this jutsu but to do it purposefully because it works to his strengths, that shows not only ingenuity but smarts as well. He deserves to be promoted.", Iruka said, walking forward and placing a headband in Naruto's hands.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei. Do you want to get some ramen later?", Naruto asked, beaming.

"Sure Naruto. How about we meet at Ichiraku's around seven?"

Naruto nodded and then sprinted out of the class, excited to find Asuma and tell him the good news.

**(Hokage's Office: Later that evening)**

Hiruzen sat behind his crystal ball, watching Naruto and Iruka celebrating his graduation over ramen. Seeing Naruto smile like that truly warmed the old Hokage's heart. He had been watching for about ten minutes when Asuma strolled in, smoke drifting from his cigarette in lazy circles. He switched off the ball and put it away, grabbing his pipe and tobacco, along with a bottle of sake and two cups.

"Asuma. I assume you're here to talk about Naruto's graduation and his team placement, aren't you?", Hiruzen asked, packing his pipe and lighting it.

"Yeah. I know you usually place the teams according to tradition, like the Ina-Shika-Cho trio, tracking based teams etcetera."

"We'll get to that in a moment Asuma. Right now, we celebrate. Naruto is finally reaching his potential, and he's well on his way to achieving his dreams. To Naruto's success!", Hiruzen said, pouring two glasses of sake and handing one to Asuma.

"To Naruto!"

After a few more glasses, Hiruzen packed the sake and the glasses away and steepled his fingers, prepared to talk business. "So, tell me this. Who would you pick for Naruto's team, why and I'll think about it."

Asuma lit another cigarette and started talking. "Okay. So, I think replacing the Akamichi kid in the Ino-Shika-Cho formation would work. Naruto could easily replace the muscle. He's a ninjutsu gold mine Dad, and he's pretty strong for his size. He'll definitely be a powerhouse. They'll level him out, and Naruto's actually pretty smart when he needs to be, so he and the Nara could bounce strategies off of each other. And I personally think a Yamanaka, with some training, could do well with calming his eventual anger and soothing his mind from the Kyuubi's influence. I think this will be good for Naruto. You know as well as I do that those two families, in particular, have never hated him for what's inside him.", Asuma explained, punctuating his sentences with pulls from his cigarette.

Hiruzen nodded, deep in thought. "I'll take that all into consideration Asuma. Now, don't you have plans tonight?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm taking Kurenai out to dinner tonight. I should actually get going, I'm supposed to be meeting her at around nine at The Boar and The Deer. See you later Dad.", Asuma said, standing up and heading out the door.

"Goodnight Asuma."

"Night Dad."

**(3 Days later: Academy)**

Naruto sat at the back of the class and once again started getting anxious about his team placement. That was what they were here for, after all. He had gotten his ninja ID done the previous day, and had a short run-in with Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson. They had spent the day together, and Naruto had ended up giving the kid some training tips, which had resulted in Konohamaru declaring Naruto his rival. Now, he was here, facing the potential doom of a shitty team placement.

The only good placement for Naruto, in his eyes, would be with Shikamaru and maybe Choji. Most of the other kids treated him with either utter contempt or they shunned him. Some of them, like Ino, Shino, and Kiba tolerated him. Kids like Shikamaru and Choji treated him like an actual human being. The best Naruto could hope for though, was maybe one of the two, and someone who tolerated him. The worst would be people like Sasuke and Sakura.

"Okay settle down everyone! You're no longer children, you are Genin. Now, as for your team placements. Team One…", Iruka started and Naruto listened with half an ear, counting off the people he would have abhorred to have on his team.

"… Team 7. Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Akamichi Choji. Team 8. Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba. Team 9 is still in circulation. Team 10. Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Uzumaki Naruto. Now, I recommend that you have lunch with your teammates and get to know them better because you'll most likely be on the same team for the next year, year and a half. Your sensei will be here shortly after lunch." Iruka said and left the classroom.

Naruto was somewhat happy. Ino had never been too horrible with him, and he had Shikamaru and Asuma. He followed Shikamaru and Ino out to the courtyard. Ino was moaning incessantly about how she was being separated from her "Sasuke-kun" and how "Forehead Girl" would turn him against her.

"I mean, how is this fair! How am I supposed to be on a team with a dead last and a lazy bum? Meanwhile, Sakura gets Sasuke-kun to protect her!", Ino moaned, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Ino, just chill. I mean, I know I'm lazy, but have you seen the scores on the classroom door? Naruto actually placed right under Sasuke, and I'm thinking that they purposefully made it like that, because Sasuke is so important to the village. Last Uchiha and all. And I'm sure our sensei is competent enough to protect you if we aren't able to.", Shikamaru said, laying back and staring at the clouds, chewing on his mackerel bento.

"What do you know Shikamaru! There's no way that Naruto is better than Sasuke-kun!", Ino huffed and popped a cherry tomato into her mouth.

"You know, Ino, I know you don't like me. But we're on a team now, okay? We need to be able to work together, trust each other. That won't happen if we're at each other's throats, bickering all the time. Can we just try getting along, please?", Naruto asked, fed up with the situation.

Ino was, for once, speechless. Here was Naruto, usually so silent and withdrawn, telling her off in a weirdly nice way. "Yeah, okay Naruto."

"Okay, good. Now, may I have some of that? It looks really good." Naruto motioned at the bowl of tomatoes in Ino's lap.

"Sure."

The three of them then spent the rest of their lunch chatting about how their new sensei would be, Naruto keeping quiet for most of it, already knowing how laid back but brutal **he **could be. The time to meet up with Asuma came by faster than expected, and they found themselves sitting patiently in the second row, watching all the sensei pick up their teams in numerical order, except for Team 7. Sakura was going frantic about their sensei, Hatake Kakashi, not having shown up, while Choji sat munching on some chips and Sasuke sat brooding.

Eventually, Asuma walked in, his signature cigarette poking out of the corner of his mouth. "Team 10. Come with me."

As they started rising, Sakura's voice pierced the air. "Excuse me! Do you know where our sensei is, Jonin-san? He should have been here already!"

"Your Kakashi's runts, right? Yeah, he won't be here for at least another hour or two at least." Asuma said, laughing internally at their misfortune. Sakura's moans didn't stop him when he left the class, followed by his new genin.

The four of them made their way to a clearing in Konoha's forest, surrounded by thick groves of trees, with a small hill overlooking the mostly circular clearing. Asuma sat down at the top of the hill and motioned for them to sit in front of him.

"So firstly, welcome to Training Ground 10. This where you'll spend most of your days' training if we're not in doing missions. That is if you pass the second Genin test."

The look of utter shock and disbelief that crossed the two blondes' faces was something Asuma would treasure for the next hour or so. He didn't know that though. Shikamaru however, looked extremely bored, as if he would go to sleep right where he was sitting if it was allowed.

"What do you mean 'second test'. You've got to be shitting me Asuma-sensei.", Naruto frowned.

"Yeah. We already passed the test. Why do we have another one?!", Ino whined, burying her face in her hands.

"Naruto, language.." "Screw that Asuma-sensei. I'm a ninja. For all intents and purposes, I'm an adult.", Naruto huffed and the just barely dodged a slap aimed for his head.

"As I was about to say, if you don't pass this test, you'll be sent back to the academy for another year of schooling. It's very common for about 66% of the new genin to be sent back to the Academy. Now, as for the rules. You three will, in the next hour, fight me. If you manage to each hit me at least once, and by hit, I mean I want to feel it, you'll pass. Now, come at with the intent to kill." With those last words, Asuma disappeared and reappeared in the middle of the clearing, lighting another cigarette.

Naruto looked at Ino and Shikamaru, both seemingly now worried, but also seemingly determined. Shikamaru had gone semi-serious and seemed to be thinking pretty hard about the situation. "Okay, guys. So, I'm sure you would've learned about this later, but I'm gonna tell you right now. Asuma-sensei has been tutoring me for the past 6 months. I know how he fights… out of experience. He's pretty smart, and a damn good fighter. We need to work together, otherwise, we'll have no chance at all, okay?"

"Wait, what do you mean you've been training with him? Isn't that super unfair in regards to the rest of us Naruto?", Ino asked.

"No Ino. Remember, Naruto's an orphan. He never had anyone to train him. We have our clans to train with and learn from.", Shikamaru said, only mildly surprised at the news.

"I guess that's fair. What are we going to do against a Jonin though? He's bigger, faster and stronger than us, not to mention, he has years of experience on us.", Ino said, fretting with her hands.

"We plan, Ino, no matter how troublesome."

'_What is taking them so long? They should have rushed me by now.',_ Asuma thought. The three of them were now out of sight, having moved further from Asuma, hopefully, to strategize.

All of a sudden there was a cry of **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! **and Naruto, flanked by Ino and Shikamaru, as well as 20 clones rushed down the hill. Asuma immediately got into a defensive stance as the clones, along with Ino and Shikamaru, started throwing kunai and shuriken at him. The clones all started blasting through hand signs and calling out **Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **and ** Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.** Suddenly the 30 odd projectiles turned into about ninety instruments of death speeding towards him.

While the clones and his teammates were throwing, Naruto was going through hand signs.

"**Fūton: Reppūshō!"**, Naruto yelled and cupped his hands in the direction of the kunai and shuriken, letting loose a powerful gale that tripled the speed of the projectiles.

"Fuck.", Asuma muttered and quickly substituted himself with a log. The log was then cut into pieces.

Asuma appeared just outside of the field of impact and was met with a swarm of very aggressive clones. He dispatched them easily enough, but for each of them that he destroyed, two reappeared. Having had enough of this, Asuma jumped backward and formed a hand sign, inhaling deeply and spewing a dark cloud of ash into the cluster. **"****Katon: Haisekishō"** (**Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning)**, Asuma muttered and clicked the piece of flint he put in his mouth before battles. Suddenly, the cloud ignited, incinerating the clones inside it.

He didn't have a chance to catch his breath though, as Naruto, Shikamaru, and Ino rushed out the smoke cloud, Naruto going straight in for the taijutsu engagement, while the other two stayed back, throwing the occasional kunai or shuriken at presented openings. Naruto immediately went on the attack, throwing calculated and swift punches and kicks, taking any and all openings he had. Asuma, having trained Naruto, knew not to get hit, having found that Naruto, although almost 14, would leave heavy bruises if allowed an opening. The two of them went back and forth for a minute or two, Naruto managing to hit Asuma once or twice when his teammates distracted him. Naruto though was still only a genin and was starting to lose decisively, when Ino and Shikamaru jumped in. The three of them started unsuccessfully trying to pummel Asuma into submission, although they did manage to push Asuma right next to the shade of a huge tree on the edge of the clearing.

'_Wait a second. Why are Ino and Shikamaru fighting exactly like Naruto…',_ Asuma thought, and then it dawned on him.

Naruto, seeing the look of realization pass on Asuma's, jumped back and ran through hand signs while yelling, "Shikamaru, now!"

It all happened in the span of two seconds. A shadow rushed out from the edge of the clearing, attaching to Asuma, just as Naruto finished his hand signs and waited to release whatever jutsu he had ready.

Ino then walked out of the clearing and over to Asuma. She drew back her fist and hit Asuma in the stomach, leaving him semi winded, but still standing, thanks to Shikamaru's **Kagemane no Jutsu.** Now, Asuma knew he could disrupt the jutsu anytime he wanted, he was much stronger than Shikamaru after all, but he wanted to see how this would play out.

"It's over sensei. We win. Your in no position to fight back right now.", Ino said, walking over to Naruto, who was still holding his jutsu.

"Are you sure about that Ino?", Asuma asked, watching as his own hand came up and then slapped him across the face.

Naruto, getting tired of the slow pace, let go of his jutsu, **"Suiton: Teppōdama!", **Naruto yelled, and sent a streaking bullet of water crashing into Asuma, effectively breaking the Kagemane and sending Asuma into a tree. "That's for the six months of Hell, Asuma-sensei!", Naruto called.

Asuma stood up and brushed himself off while his team gathered in front of him. He could have moved at any time, but he wanted the situation to play out. "That was good. Nice use of your strengths, good planning, excellent teamwork. You pass. Meet me here tomorrow at eight sharp for your first day as an official Genin.", Asuma said, thoroughly pleased with what had happened.

"But sensei, aren't we going to get something to eat? To celebrate our passing?", Ino asked.

"I would like to, but I have to report to the Hokage, and I have a date tonight. How about tomorrow night, huh?", Asuma proposed and smiled when the three of them nodded.

Team 10 left after that, heading home to catch a good night's rest after a very stressful day, and Asuma heading to the Hokage Tower to report the good news. On the way, he was thinking about his team. _'They did really well. They do have a lot of potential… hmm. Team 10, the best there ever was. That has a nice ring to it.'_

**A/N: Hey guys. I'm so, so, so, so sorry for the long-ass wait. I was struggling with a bit of writer' block, and then lockdown came around, and I've been waist-deep in school work. **

**As always, review if you have some constructive criticism, or just want to. I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Love you all**


	4. Chapter 4: Betrayal in The Leaf

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But hey, I'm planning on becoming rich, so who knowssss?**

**A/N: First off, sorry for being gone so long. Second, if you aren't new, go check out the A/N I updated for chapter 1… or read anything, I've done some tweaking. Last, don't worry about Naruto becoming strong quickly. I wanted to put him on par with his fellow genin,and honestly, had the Uchiha not been massacred, Sasuke would be far beyond this by now. So, without further adieu…**

**Chapter Album: "You're a Man now, Boy'- Raleigh Ritchie**

**(4 weeks after Graduation)**

Naruto collapsed onto the soft, sweet grass that made up Training Ground 10. Ino and Shikamaru fell next to him, passing a canteen between them. Asuma had just finished running them ragged. This had been happening every day of the week, except for Sundays, right after they had finished at least two or three D-rank missions, which, in themselves, were torture enough for the three young Shinobi. Especially Naruto, for some reason. The villagers that hired them would send hateful looks towards him, mutter insults, or treat him as lesser to his teammates.

There had been one occurrence when an old lady who had hired them to weed her garden had offered them some cold lemonade and had refused to give Naruto any. Ino had vehemently voiced her displeasure with the woman's behavior and although Shikamaru would have liked nothing more than the glass of lemonade, he had to agree with Ino. Naruto, of course, had waved off his teammates' concern, opting instead to join Asuma for a smoke. There was that too. After the second week of training, Naruto had asked Asuma if he could try one, and after that, Naruto had been hooked. For some reason, Naruto found an odd peace in the small darts packed with tobacco.

This was not to mention the extreme reaction that the Inuzuka dogs had towards Naruto. Being of greater physical strength than his teammates, Naruto was stuck with the biggest dogs in the kennels. This, of course, turned out to be hilarious when the dogs went crazy as soon as Naruto had control of the leashes. Most of these missions consisted of Naruto being dragged through parks by numerous huge ninken, and his team laughing their asses off, watching the whole spectacle as they strolled with their comparably small ninken.

After their missions for the day, Team 10 would return to their training ground, where Asuma would proceed to train them into the ground. Every day of the week would focus on a different shinobi skill. Saturdays would be sparring matches and teamwork exercises, while Sundays were a rest day. During the month that had passed, Asuma had assessed the team's strengths and weaknesses and had accommodated their individual training to cover each other's weaknesses and play to their own strengths, as well as to cover their own shortcomings when needed.

The team training, as a whole, also went by fairly well. Asuma had furthered their base skills of stealth, observation, tactics, infiltration, and all manners of true Shinobi subterfuge. Teamwork was not necessarily something you could train. In Asuma's opinion, it would come naturally as they gained experience. He did, however, force them into situations where they would need to work as a team, and Asuma was happy to see that his Genin were working well together.

Back to the present, where the three aforementioned Genin were resting after a spar with Asuma, in which he had absolutely thrashed them. "Ne, Asuma-sensei. Was that last hit really needed? I feel like I got hit by a two partially transformed Akimichi.", Naruto complained, fishing out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from one of the many pouches on his new black shinobi pants. Ino had forced him to go shopping with her after they had cleaned out a Shinobi Outfitter, and he had ended up with a completely new wardrobe for the second time in a year. Ino had claimed that he should look more like a ninja and less like a kid. The pants she had picked out were a deep black, accented by two dark crimson lines that ran down the sides of his legs. She had let him keep his boots and his cloak but had switched out his shirt for a deep orange tank top, covered by a darkish cream jacket.

"A gigantic ball of compressed wind and chakra will do that to you Naruto. Now stop complaining, I wanna sleep you troublesome ass.", Shikamaru said as he stared up at the clouds above them.

Asuma chuckled to himself as he went to help his students up. "Of course it was needed Naruto. The point of these spars aren't only to test of far you've come, individually, but to see how well you work as a team. And I must say, you guys are shaping up well. At the rate you guys are moving, maybe I'll enter you guys into the next Chunin Exams, but that's a couple months away. Mmm… that sounds like a plan."

Naruto blocked out the rest of Asuma's musings, instead pulling greedily from the cigarette between his lips, and let the smoke drift lazily out of his mouth, turning it almost blue in the midday sun. "Ino, Shikamaru, do you guys want to go grab something to eat? My treat?", Naruto offered, for once not wanting to return to his empty apartment.

Shikamaru lifted his head to look at the soft spoken blonde."Sure Naruto, just lemme catch a few winks and then I'll join you. Maybe we can find Choji and drag him along.", Shikamaru said, lowering his head again.

Ino was cleaning under her nails and barely gave Naruto a glance. "Maybe, if the food isn't too fattening. I was planning on finding Sasuke-kun, Forehead has been spending too much with him for my liking."

The two smoking ninja cringed at her answer. Asuma was starting to get worried about what he could only call the weakest link on Team 10. Ino's constant rants about diets and staying thin and pretty for the last Uchiha were getting on his nerves, and she was by far the weakest member of the squad, only standing out for her exceptional chakra control, which was only a result of her low chakra reserves. He would really need to start whipping her into shape, otherwise she was destined to become a liability on missions that actually involved action.

Naruto grimaced for a whole other reason. He was becoming very sick of the constant mention of his only viable rival, Sasuke-teme. He had at least learned not to speak ill of the bastard in front of Ino, otherwise she would unleash a thirty minute long diatribe on him. Thinking of the Uchiha brought thoughts of his first meeting with the Kyuubi to his mind, and what he had learned that day.

'_Hey, Kyuubi… That thing you mentioned about the Uchiha being the cause of your attack…How do you know it was an Uchiha?'_

'_**Hi kit. Why the sudden interest?', Kyuubi asked, having been roused from his sleep.**_

'_No reason really…I've just been thinking about the Uchiha for a while, mostly because of the teme'_

'_**Well… I learned a long time ago, the only thing able to fully control me, excluding a jinchuuriki like you, is a fully evolved Sharingan… I loath it.'**_

'_Oh, okay. Well, I was just curious. By the way, I might drop in tonight, just to say hi and stuff.'_

_Kyyubi knew Naruto would only really drop in when he was feeling especially lonely or needed a break from real life problems. __**'Of course kit. Anytime.'**_

Naruto cut off the link between them at those words, smiling softly to himself. At least he still had his first friend to count on, even if that friend was in essence only that, essence. A giant ball of chakra given consciousness and form through sheer power and the Rikudou Sennin creating it. Naruto sat up, his cigarette burnt down to just the filter, and went to grab his teammates for lunch.

**(Some time later: Shinobi Housing District)**

Mizuki sat fuming in his apartment. Instead of the demon brat failing the graduation test miserably, he had passed because of Iruka's fondness of the boy, and the power he held as a full instructor. Mizuki as his assistant couldn't have done anything to overrule the decision.

Now, his master was increasing the pressure on the white haired chunin, and the potential punishment that could come from failing his mission would be nothing except excruciatingly painful. First he had to steal the Forbidden Scroll, and then he vowed to deal with the brat that almost cost him his mission.

As night started falling over Konoha, Mizuki started plotting his retribution and revenge.

**(2 weeks later)**

Naruto was in the middle of his own personal training, seeing as it was a Sunday and his day off from team training when an explosion rocked the ground, seemingly originating from the village. A good ten minutes had passed as he was wrestling with the decision to go check it out. Suddenly Naruto was shoved to the side by one of his training clones, who subsequently popped out of existence. Naruto turned around to see a barrage of kunai heading in his direction and immediately substituted with another clone. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

To Naruto's absolute confusion Mizuki jumped into the clearing, a large scroll strapped to his back and a kunai brandished in his hand.

"Mizuki-sensei, what the fuck! Why'd you attack me like that?!"

Mizuki laughed at the blind trust Naruto still held for him. "Oh Naruto, you stupid brat. I'm planning on killing you, and then vanishing from the village. You deserve it after all, having graduated and almost ruining my plans. Fortunately for me, some explosions rocking the village has all of the ANBU flocking to find the source… That gave me enough time to steal the Forbidden Scroll of Seals and hightail it here, to finish you off."

Naruto's mouth almost dropped in shock, but he schooled his features into indifference and took up a defensive stance, kunai in hand. "Well let's go then Mizuki-teme." Naruto pulled his cloaks hood up at that and didn't speak another word. A single leaf fell to the ground between the two. The moment it touched the ground Mizuki flew forward, flying through hand seals, flipping onto his hands as he released his jutsu, and jumping to his feet, continuing his charge.

"**Doton:Sando no Jutsu!" (Earth Release: Mountainous Earth Technique)**

The ground on both sides of Naruto seemed to swell and converge on him at a tremendous speed and force. Naruto jumped backward, launching the kunai in his hand at Mizuki and flying through hand seals of his own.

"**Raiton: Kunai Tokubetsu Houden!" (Lightning Release: Kunai Special Charge)**

Naruto's kunai suddenly burst into blue lightning, narrowly escaping the two mounds of earth, speeding towards Mizuki. Mizuki jumped out of the way, narrowly escaping injury. He had no moment to rest however, as a group of about twenty Naruto's swarmed over his jutsu and started their assault. Even as coordinated as they were, Mizuki tore through them before unsealing two fuuma shuriken and jumping over the small hill of earth he had created, only to find no trace of Naruto.

Naruto was watching from just inside the treeline, weighing up his choices. He could run for the village, but then Mizuki would get away, or he could fight him. There was only one clear choice, but before Naruto could move from his tree, kunai thudded into the base of the tree, wrapped in explosive tags. Having no other choice but to return to the clearing, Naruto jumped for it, and was met with a full frontal kick to his head, which sent him flying. 'Damn, he hits hard.' Naruto thought, rubbing his jaw. The two ninja turned to face each other and without wasting time, they flew at each other. The taijutsu bout between the two was surprisingly even. Mizuki had the strength advantage over Naruto, but Naruto had a refined style and was used to getting beaten to a pulp, he could take a hit.

Mizuki suddenly slashed vicously at Naruto, leaving a wide open shot for Naruto, who sank a heavy shot to Mizuki's body, followed by a uppercut that rocked Mizuki for a moment, allowing Naruto to jump back and form a mass of clones that rushed Mizuki, save a few. Naruto and his few clones that stayed behind all started running through hand seals. The moment Mizuki had cleared the clones in front of him, the clones let loose kunai charged by the same jutsu Naruto had previously used, and Naruto released his own jutsu.

"**Suiton: Teppodama!" (Water Release: Gunshot)**

Naruto spat 5 balls of water, roughly half the size of his head, one for each kunai that had been thrown, not only speeding the kunai up but charging the water with the lightning chakra as well. Mizuki's eyes widened at the collaborative jutsu and barely dodged two of the kunai when the other three hit him square in the chest, blasting him back and electrocuting him simultaneously.

As Mizuki hit the ground and rolled to a stop, Naruto sent off a clone to the village, with instructions to find a Jonin or higher ranked shinobi and send them in this direction. All of a sudden, Mizuki started writhing on the ground, and then he screamed, a guttural sound consistingonly of pain. His body started bulging and striped orange and black fur started covering his chest and arms, tiger-like ears sprouted from his head and his fingernails elongated into sharp claws. The feral looking Mizuki, twice his original size, charged at Naruto, yelling one thing.

"DIEEEEEEEE!"

**A/N: That's a wrap folks. I hope you enjoyed it, I did. I think I need to work on my combat scenes, I feel like that was kinda shitty, but lemme know. Oh and, I might be transitioning to English jutsu titles, cause if I wanna create my own, it becomes a massive hassle, and apparently people prefer it… Lemme know bout that as well if you want.**

**Peace**


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